A couple of days ago, I was speaking at a Church some miles from where I live. I had been asked to speak on the theme of faithfulness as a gift of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23).
My message was that we have to choose to be faithful to God, and that he expects us to be so in every area of our life. Being faithful to God is an intentional act which is possible only because of the Holy Spirit working within us. The Spirit enables us – but we have to choose to be faithful to God. As part of the service, my wife, Jo, had been speaking about the distractions of life which prevent, or at least inhibit us from being faithful.
So there we are. Allow the Spirit of God to fill your heart, and be intentionally faithful in every area of your life. (Easier said than done!)
Last night I was part of David’s Tent, a gathering of several thousand people worshipping together in the middle of a field close to my home in South East England. In the space of about an hour, I sensed God telling me to go up to several individuals and say specific things to them. I love it when that happens. There’s usually a moment of hesitation, especially when I don’t know the individual, but most times, when I step out and pass on the words which I have been given the reaction is such that I know I was right to do it.
So, here’s the thing. Not everything in my life is perfect – like me for example. Like everyone else there are things which bother me and upset me. And to be honest, there’s one area of my life which is a constant frustration. I have this deep sense of disappointment, even injustice, because I feel constantly undermined and distracted in my work by one or two people who hold a position of influence over my work. . (It’s interesting that even as I write I’m fighting the desire to explain my frustration and justify myself!).
Late in the evening, we were driving home from the worship event when Jo spoke to me about my own relationship with God. She was talking about the things she sees God doing in my life. All this was good. It felt like an affirmation of something that I was already aware of. But then, she said, just imagine how much more God could use me if I just stopped stressing myself out about the above mentioned sense of frustration.
In my imperfection, I was immediately defensive and within seconds I was rambling on about the righteousness of my own position.Jo stopped me, or at least she tried to, and really turned the knife in my self inflicted wound. My frustration, she said, is spilling over. Other people are noticing, and starting to join in. It isn’t honouring God, and my reaction is beginning to impact the team. Regardless of the core issues, the whole thing has been a huge distraction to me. Now it’s becoming a distraction to others. It needs to stop. It needs to stop because it’s preventing me from being faithful in a key area of my life. It’s beginning to gamble with the faithfulness of the team.
It’s not wrong to deal with the issues – but it’s wrong to let them distract us from being faithful to God.
Two points.
I love it when God gives me a message and the Church receives it well. How much more amazing is it when I walk away and realise that apart from anyone else the message was really for me. It’s as if he says ‘Preach this! Tell my people to apply this to themselves. And if you have a moment in your own busy schedule – apply it to yourself aswell!’
Secondly, I love it when God gives me a message for someone else. It’s great when he – the Living God – graciously uses me as a messenger. How much more amazing is it when he uses someone else to bring a message to me – even if I don’t like the message!
I love it when God says to me ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself! I’ve got this situation in hand. Be Faithful. Just get on with the job!’
Keep on praying!